By now, I've made it clear how much I love Australia. Travelling around for a few months, I was captivated by the coffee culture, morning run groups, friendly people and cinnamon scrolls galore. Every now and then, though Joni Mitchell would ring through my head, because the reality is — you don't know what you've got till it's gone.
It's only fair to give credit where credit is due, and while Canada may not have the beaches, the weather, or the overall vibe to stack up against Down Under — we do have our own things going for us. The truth is, there were more than a few bits of home that I was happy to come back to, because at the end of the day, I'm a proud Canadian who loves her ketchup and not so much Vegemite (I will take the Tim Tams though!).
Cafes being open past 2 p.m.
Cafes in Australia
The thing about travelling around is that you tend to be eating out a lot, so this one left me hungry more than I few times. With Australia's early morning culture, maybe this shouldn't be all that surprising, but I'd constantly go and try to have a late lunch just to find all the shops closed up already.
At home, most cafes are open until at least 4 or 5 p.m., and some even into the evening. In Australia, businesses are turning the open sign over at 2 p.m. (maybe 3 p.m. if you're lucky). This meant I spent many hungry afternoons waiting for dinner spots to open up.
The tradeoff, though? The cafes there were most definitely better.
Non-venomous creatures
A sign with a snake warning on it.
I get it — you should know what you're getting into when you go to Australia. It's the land of venomous things, and I was somewhat mentally prepared. Coming from New Brunswick, though, I wasn't exactly used to the ever-present threat of wildlife. Our biggest issue here is an overpopulation of deer that will eat your garden.
Strolling up to my first crocodile warning at the beach, and passing by the 'venomous snake' signs on walking trails, was an adjustment. Then there was the box jellyfish, the massive spiders, and that one brown snake that I got to see casually slithering down the sidewalk.
I have a new appreciation for walking through a field at home without going into fight-or-flight.
Ketchup VS Tomato Sauce
Ordering a burger and fries in Canada? Ketchup is on there. Got a breakfast sandwich? Ketchup. Eating basically any dish with potatoes? Ketchup is on the table.
Australians have tomato sauce. On first look, this is basically the same thing as ketchup, but somehow feels entirely different. In general, I found that most things aren't actually automatically served with tomato sauce, and when I did get some, it was a thinner, runnier version of what I was used to.
To be fair, some tomato sauces were pretty tasty, but for me, nothing could replace good ol' Heinz ketchup.
The cost of a meal
A restaurant bill
I was warned about how expensive Australia was before I went, but coming from Canada, I thought I was pretty braced for that. The cost of food, though, still managed to surprise me, especially when eating out. To be fair, they don't have tipping there generally, which does lower a bill — but even then, it's pricey.
I couldn't bear to pay $25 for a cocktail on top of an already expensive meal.
Looking at data from MyLifeElsewhere's cost of living comparison, Australia is definitely more expensive to eat out in than Canada. My waist felt the hit of that.
Canadian roundabouts
This is on me, I'll admit it, because I still have no clue how to properly use a roundabout in Australia, no matter how many times I was forced to go through one. There are seemingly endless roundabouts in the country, though, and also seemingly very little consistency in how people signal within them. Some people signalled when they were staying in, some did it when they were existing, while some did both, and others did neither.
I think I drove through more roundabouts in my three months there than I have in my entire life in Canada, and I'd like to publicly apologize to any Australian drivers out there who had to encounter me trying to navigate one of them.
Who needs dreamy beaches and fantastic weather when you have ketchup and not too many roundabouts — right?
The views expressed in this Opinion article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.